


and she wears a crown of marigold

by Papyrifera



Series: to walk among ghosts [1]
Category: Purple Hyacinth (Webcomic)
Genre: Cold, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, Purple hyacinth au, dylan lives, empath!dylan, letter writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:07:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24281824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Papyrifera/pseuds/Papyrifera
Summary: A young man and a letter to his fallen sun.
Series: to walk among ghosts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1833979
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	and she wears a crown of marigold

**Author's Note:**

> I tried for fluff but ended up with this. Enjoy my 1am writing.
> 
> A big thanks to [my beta](http://www.archiveofourown.org/users/rising_goat_defeats_striking_dragon/pseuds/rising_goat_defeats_striking_dragon) for proofreading!
> 
> OST: [ Cold ](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JZhpcq0J8CU) (ft Casey Lee Williams) by Jeff Williams <\--- heavily inspired this AU

Moonlight filters in from frost laced windows and casts the room in a pale light, illuminating the figure of a man at a desk. He is dressed simply, in a striped nightshirt and pants, bare feet at the mercy of the chilled hardwood floor. In one hand, a worn quill pen hovers above a blank page of paper. His head rests on the other, lost in memories of spring.

(There was once a boy with quicksilver eyes and a wilted resolve, scared by the cruel truths strangers whispered in passing.)

A drop of ink disfigures the pristine surface, like blood on innocent skin.

(There was once a girl with eyes like the sun and a spirit that burned, incandescent. She was the light in the boy’s life, and he blossomed under her warmth. A promise is made on a summer day with the flowers as witnesses.)

(The ghosts smile sadly, knowingly.) 

A slow exhale hangs in the dead air as the man begins writing the first line.

_Dear Lauren,_

_It’s been a while since I’ve written. I hope you’re happy and well, wherever you are._

(Almost a decade since the blast of flame that burned even brighter than the girl. A sunshine yellow ribbon, buried under layers of twisted metal and broken cobblestone. The boy is drowning in cold, trapped by the howling of lives lost too soon.)

(A crown of daisies and asphodel join the lilies as a coffin is buried. Another promise is made that night, with only the dead to bear witness.)

_There’s an empty space where you should be, but I’m doing ok. You’ve heard me complain enough about boot camp and medical training, so I think I’ll skip that part this time._

_The job is nice, and I even made a few friends in the patrol unit. Your uncle was kind enough to offer a recommendation for the 11th Precinct, even though he insists I “get out more” instead of focusing on my work._

_Apparently, it’s a part of healing, but how can I move on after failing you?_

(The boy chases the dream that the girl left behind, heedless of the cold. Others joined him with their fires and passions, but none were his sun.)

_Police work is…interesting, to say the least. Ladell and Hawkes had a disagreement the other day. Normally, it’s contained by those two, but somehow the Archivist division got dragged into it and the whole situation escalated into a paperwork war. Hermann assigned our unit a double patrol as punishment._

_It was worth it though. A medic isn’t quite a doctor, but I’m still saving lives like we promised. Our unit stopped people from dying that day._

(This was the promise they made. Lives saved and lives touched, sheltered under the fierce need to protect.) 

(But the boy was still cold.)

_In other news, there was an assassin in my apartment last night. He smelled of hyacinths and blood, but regret clung to him like a ghost._

_I think that’s why I helped him, why he spared me._

(If the girl was the sun, the assassin was the ocean, hiding riptides and dead water and secrets in his eyes.)

(A fire ignites that night, and the boy refuses to drown.)

 _We’re working together now to take down the Phantom Scythe. I know you’ll probably disapprove, but I finally have an opportunity to make up for those lives lost. I finally have a lead on the explosion and your death, I’m going to take it._

(The boy will keep his promise, even if it means chasing a distant star with a monster by his side.)

(The dead hiss their approval.)

_We’re going to interrogate a weapons dealer in a week, and then plant evidence for my coworkers to find. It’s strange and unlawful and wrong, and I’ll probably be arrested for treason if we get caught, but it feels like I can finally keep the promise I made…_

The paper is almost full. The man taps his quill on the inkwell, contemplating. 

Moonlight catches the glint of an idea in his eyes. The man blinks, but surprise does not stop the last lines from spilling across the page.

_I thought I saw your ghost in the daisies again._

_It wasn't, but wherever you are, I hope you’re safe and happy._

His thoughts on the paper are disfigured by liquid emotion, but he doesn’t dare wipe them away.

(It started with a boy and a girl and a vow to protect.)

_‘Til next time,_

(It continues with a man driven by cold fire and a monster cloaked in regrets. Midnight raids and tentative trust and unearthed secrets: a trail of death leading to truth.)

_Dylan_

The man returns the quill to its holder and leans back against the chair. The joints along his spine pop as he stretches, oddly loud in the cold stillness. He closes his eyes, takes a breath of freezing air, and makes one more promise with the Moon as his witness.

(It will end with ghosts finally laid to rest, no matter the cost.)

**Author's Note:**

> Flower meanings:
> 
> Marigold- associated with the sun, remembering a lost love/death
> 
> Daisy- innocence, Lauren’s favorite flower
> 
> Asphodel- remembering beyond the tomb, “my regrets follow you to the grave”
> 
> Lily- traditional flower for funerals/mourning
> 
> Hyacinths- varies depending on the color, purple hyacinths stand for regret/apologies
> 
> Read Purple Hyacinth [here!](https://www.webtoons.com/en/mystery/purple-hyacinth/list?title_no=1621)
> 
> Join the Discord [here!](https://discord.gg/U8cmy5)


End file.
